Well, I ended up getting a
1994 Honda Accord w/ just shy of 170k miles for $1,500. There weren't nearly as many Civics in the area and the 4 I looked at all had major issues of one sort or another. The Accord is in decent shape. It has some body damage, but very slight. The frame is still intact, so it's safe. Only big issues are the radio asking for a code (won't work until I input it) and the sun roof doesn't open; so I guess that makes it a moon roof, lol. I'll be looking here for ideas to increase fuel economy as well.